Chicken a la King
Tender pieces of pastured chicken simmered in bone broth with fresh cream, sherry, nutmeg, peas and mushrooms. Invented in the late 1800′s, this retro dish is every bit as good now as it was then..
Chicken à la King
To make roux, melt 4 oz. pastured butter over medium-low heat until it just begins to sizzle. Add 5 oz. by weight sprouted wheat or spelt flour and whisk to combine. Stirring continuously, continue to cook until it smells like baked bread, about 5 minutes. Set aside.
To make topping, toast a piece of sprouted wheat or spelt bread in the toaster, then tear it up into small pieces and sauté in butter and parsley until golden brown.
Gently simmer chunks of pastured chicken (I’m using thighs, skin removed) in chicken stock with a little sherry and fresh thyme until just done.
Lightly sauté halved pearl onions, wild mushrooms and a bit of red bell pepper, then stir into the chicken.
Add fresh cream, green peas and freshly-grated nutmeg and simmer 5 minutes.
Whisk roux into the chicken and simmer, stirring continuously until thickened, 3-5 minutes.
Season to taste with sea salt and freshly-ground pepper.
To serve, simply spoon chicken mixture into a deep dish and top with toasted bread crumbs.
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- Chicken à la King
Texas Creams
Fresh “Texas Cream” peas from Dilorio Farms in nearby Hempstead. Steamed, then simmered in butter, lemon, thyme, green garlic, red spring onions, rocket sprouts and some of the pan juices of a just-roasted pastured chicken. Sea salt and freshly ground pepper..
Sprouted Lentil and Chicken Curry
Leftover Mondays
A simple, single-skillet dish of sprouted lentils, chicken, garbanzos, spring onions and fresh peas with homemade yoghurt and lacto-fermented raisin chutney..
Sprout lentils by placing them in a canning jar and cover with filtered water. Soak 12 hours or overnight, then drain and rinse 2-3 times/day until 1/2 inch sprouts appear (about 3 days). Sprouted lentils are higher in nutrition and easier to digest than non-sprouted. They also cook much faster.
Slowly cook leftover roast chicken, cooked lentils and garbanzos, spring onions, roasted red pepper, cracked cardamom pods and coriander in a little ghee and chicken bone broth until the flavors have combined, about 15 minutes. Add fresh peas and red pepper flakes and cook a few minutes more.
Meanwhile, prepare basmati rice with curry, substituting a least some of the water with chicken bone broth.
Serve with homemade yoghurt and lacto-fermented raisin chutney.
Curried Lamb with Peas and Lentils
Trim any excess fat and cut leftover roast lamb into bite sized pieces. Toast cardamom, coriander, mustard seeds and bay in coconut oil until the seeds begin to pop out of the pan. Add the cubed lamb and continue to cook until meat is nicely browned.
Transfer the lamb to a dutch oven, adding enough stock and tomato puree to cover the meat. Cover and simmer about 1 and 1/2 hours. Add black gram lentils, peas, tomatoes, ginger, chili powder, curry powder and cilantro, and simmer another 1/2 hour.
Heat a naan on a skillet and serve with lamb and yoghurt or sour cream.
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